
Class J&j 

Sonic .G -5 
Oopight If 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



A PRIMER OF 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION 



•y$y&$e 



A Primer of 

4 



The Christian Religion 

Based on the Teaching of Jesus, its 
Founder and Living Lord 



By 
GEORGE HOLLEY GILBERT, Ph.D., D.D. 

Author of "The Student's Life of Jesus," "The Revelation of 

Jesus," " The Student's Life of Paul," and " The 

First Interpreters of Jesus " 



2fafo gork 
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 
I902 

All rights reserved 



THE LIBRARY ©F 
©CNGftESS, 

Two Copies Received 

JAN. 29 1902 

F* 1 — ^IGHT ENTRY 

[CLASS CV XX& No. 

copy a 






Copyright, 1902, 
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. 



Norwood Press 

J. S. Cusbing & Co. — Berwick & Smith 

Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 






Heaven and earth shall pass away, 
But my words shall not pass away, 

Jesus in Mark xiii. 31. 

Every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth 

them, 
Shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house 

upon the rock. 

Jesus in Matt. vii. 24. 

Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and 
knowledge hidden. 

Paul in Col. ii. 3. 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all 
wisdom. 

Paul in Col. iii. 16. 



Preface 

" Every scribe who has been made a dis- 
ciple unto the kingdom of heaven is like 
unto a man that is a householder, which 
bringeth forth out of his treasure things new 
and old." The old Gospel of Jesus becomes 
in part new to the men of each generation 
who are made disciples unto the kingdom 
of heaven. It is the same divine message 
to our lost and struggling humanity, but it 
calls for fresh utterance as God leads the 
race onward to new conditions and new ex- 
periences. And every fresh utterance in 
word or life must spring from a fresh inspi- 
ration gained in the fellowship of Jesus, who 
Himself is the fountainhead of all that we 
can truly call Christian. " Come unto me," 
He is still saying, and " Learn of me." 
[vii] 



To that voice the apostles gave heed, and 
regarded no other. To that voice they also 
have given heed who, in the long and weary 
struggle to realize the kingdom of heaven 
on the earth, have spoken words and done 
deeds that have scattered new light and given 
fresh courage to the hearts of men. 

To that divine voice it is our duty to 
listen, and then boldly to live out and to 
speak out what we have heard. No man 
or body of men can listen to Jesus for us ; 
we must listen for ourselves. No council 
of the dead Past or of the Present has a 
right to come between us and Jesus Christ 
and say that it has listened for us, and that 
thus or thus must we believe. 

We owe it to Jesus that no voices of men, 
howsoever holy and learned, shall be allowed 
to drown or in the slightest degree confuse 
that clear voice of His, which will one day 
be heard in judgment as it is now heard in 
accents of divine grace. 

This Primer of the Gospel — and the 
whole Gospel is a primer, a message for 
children, though no hoary saint ever gets 
[viii] 



beyond its simple revelation — seeks only to 
turn the reader's thought to Jesus, to the 
great events in His life and the great facts 
in His teaching. It would minister to the 
reader's joy, not have lordship over his 
faith. And the reader whom it contemplates 
is any one, young or old, learned or un- 
learned, to whom Jesus and His work are 
of interest. 

It speaks the language of common life, 
not the technical language of the schools. 
It deals with the interests of practical reli- 
gion which are emphasized in the teaching 
of Jesus. It passes over various questions, 
both historical and doctrinal, which, though 
of value, are not essential to Christianity, as 
judged by the words of Jesus and His 
apostles. 

This Primer, moreover, is concerned with 
the facts of the Christian religion rather than 
with inferences from the facts or with theories 
by which the facts are thought to be ex- 
plained. The inferences and theories of 
men are numerous and changing ; the facts 
of our Christian revelation are unchanging, 
[ix] 



And it is these facts, confirmed by individual 
experience, that ever guide the soul into the 
peace of God. 

Going forth as this Primer does after a 
century of unparalleled historical investiga- 
tion, it would be unpardonable if it did not 
seek to use all the light which this investiga- 
tion has shed upon the Gospel. Criticism, 
like the wise man of whom Jesus spoke, has 
digged down at many a point to the bed- 
rock which had long been overlaid with 
earth; and on this rock we must build. 
The gold and costly stones of the teaching 
of Jesus, with which we build, shine even 
more brightly to-day than they have in 
many of the centuries gone by. 

Let us then build these precious things 
into fair structures and radiant service to the 
glory of Him through whom we have the 
best blessings of the Present and a steadfast 
hope of immortal life. 

G. H. G. 



Dorset, Vt., 

November, 1 90 1. 



[*] 



Contents 






QUESTIONS 


Of Jesus ...... 


I-I 9 


Of God . 






20-2 8 


Of the Spirit . 






2 9~34 


Of the Kingdom of God 






35-52 


Of Following Jesus . 






53-66 


Of the Bible . 






67-73 


Of Sunday 






7\-77 


Of the Hereafter . 






78-85 



[xi] 



OF JESUS 

i . Where did Jesus live ? 

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, 1 Judea, 
spent the years of His private life in Naz- 
areth, 2 Galilee, the years of His public min- 
istry chiefly in Galilee, 8 Judea, 4 and Perea, 5 
and was put to death in Jerusalem. 

1. Matt. ii. I ; Lk. ii. 4. 

2. Matt. ii. 23 j Lk. ii. 39. 

3. Matt. xxvi. 69; Mk. xiv. 70; Lk. xxii. 59. 

4. Mk. xi-xv; John ii. 13; v. ij vii. 10. 

5. Mk. x. 1 j Matt. xix. 1. 

NOTE 

Once during His ministry Jesus went into Gen- 
tile territory, viz. the borders of Tyre and Sidon 
(Mk. vii. 24, 31); and once at least He was in 
Samaria (John iv. 5; Luke ix. 52-56; xvii. 11), 
which was semi-Gentile, and which the strict Jews 
regarded as no better than heathen. 

[»] 



2. When did Jesus live ? 

Jesus was born about four years before 
the beginning of our era, and was crucified 
when about thirty-two years old. 1 

I. Matt. ii. I ; Lie. iii. I, 233 John ii. 13, 205 vi. 4; xiii. i. 



NOTE 

No date in the career of Jesus is wholly fixed. 
We know the decade, but not certainly the year, 
either of His birth or His death. The early Church 
seems to have had relatively little interest in the 
general historical setting of the life of Jesus. 



[*] 



3. What do we know of the family of 
Jesus ? 

Joseph and Mary, 1 the parents 2 of Jesus, 
belonged to the common people, Joseph 
being a carpenter. 3 They were devout Jews 
and lived near to God. 4 Jesus had four 
brothers and at least two sisters. 5 

i. Lk. ii. 4-5. 2. Lk. ii. 41, 48. 3. Mk. vi. 3. 

4. Matt. i. 19 j Lk. i. 26-56; ii. 22-24, 41. 

5. Mk. vi. 3. 



NOTES 

1. It was the current belief of the early Church 
that Jesus belonged to the royal line of David 
(e.g. Rom. i. 3; Rev. xxii. 16; Luke i. 32; ii. 4; 
John vii. 42). The genealogies in Matthew and 
Luke, as far as they support the Davidic descent, 
do so by tracing the line of Joseph. 

2. In speaking of the family of Jesus, no refer- 
ence has been made to the narrative of the super- 
natural conception (Matt. i. 18-25 > Luke i. 
26—38), not because it is regarded as devoid of 
truth of any sort, but because the New Testa- 
ment nowhere makes any doctrinal use of it. 



[3] 



4. What kind of child was Jesus ? 

Jesus was obedient to His parents, and 
advanced in wisdom and in favor with God 
and men. 1 

i. Lk. ii. 40, 51-53. 



NOTE 

The incident in the Temple when Jesus was 
twelve years old (Luke ii. 41—51) gives us a 
glimpse at a normal spiritual development associ- 
ated with extraordinary insight into the truth of 
God. For it shows us a boy who was serenely 
conscious of God's presence and fatherly love, 
and who, at the same time, left a circle where He 
was admired and where He was glad to be, and 
went back to His humble home in obedience to 
the wish of His parents. 



[4] 



5. What do we know of the private life of 
the man Jesus ? 

Jesus followed the carpenter's trade in 
Nazareth, 1 and at the same time, to judge 
from His after life, was a profound student 
of the revelation which God has made in His 
word and works. 

I. Mk. vi. 3. 



NOTE 

It is not improbable that Jesus was for some 
years the chief support of the family in Nazareth. 
Joseph does not appear in the Gospel narrative 
after Jesus reached His twelfth year, and it seems 
quite plain that he had died before Jesus began his 
public ministry (Mk. vi. 3 ; John ii. 1). After His 
death the chief responsibility for supporting the 
home would naturally have devolved upon Jesus, 
who was the eldest of the children. 



[5] 



6. What came to pass when Jesus was 
baptized ? 

The Spirit of God came upon Jesus at 
His baptism, and the voice of God came to 
Him, saying, "Thou art my beloved Son, 
in thee I am well pleased." 1 

i. Mk. i. io-ii ; Matt. iii. 1 6-17; Lk. iii. %%. 



NOTE 

We are to think of the dove and the voice in 
the account of the baptism of Jesus as spiritual 
phenomena, not physical. This is in keeping with 
the inward character of Christ's revelation. More- 
over, in the case of Jesus, we certainly cannot 
assume that visible and audible phenomena were 
necessary to the reception of communications from 
God. And, finally, the view that the event was 
spiritual has support in the fact that Mark repre- 
sents the voice as speaking to Jesus, while Matthew 
represents it as speaking of Him to John the 
Baptist. 



[6] 



J. W 'hat did the descent of the Spirit upon 
Jesus mean ? 

The descent of the Spirit upon Jesus at 
His baptism meant that He, who had always 
been led of the Spirit, 1 was now by the Spirit 
equipped and furnished for the Messianic 
work. 2 

1. Luke ii. 40, 49, 52. 

2. Mk. i. 12 ; Matt. iv. I j Lk. iv. I, 14 ; Matt. xii. 28 j John 
i. 33 ; comp. Is. xlii. 1. 



NOTE 

That the significance of the descent of the 
Spirit was Messianic, not moral, is manifest from 
various facts. Thus, first of all, Jesus is represented 
as a child of the Spirit (Luke i. 35), who had 
always enjoyed undisturbed communion with God. 
He was apparently as holy before the baptism as 
after it. Again, the words that accompany the 
descent of the Spirit are Messianic in character. 
Third, from the hour of the descent of the Spirit 
the thought and activity of Jesus centred on the 
Messianic work. And finally, the Baptist, who 
witnessed the descent of the Spirit, regarded it as 
a sign of the Messiahship of Jesus (John i. 33). 

[7] 



8. What did it mean to be called " the be- 
loved Son " ? 

Being called " the beloved Son " meant 
that Jesus, who had always been a true child 
of the Father, 1 was now acknowledged of God 
as the Messiah. 2 

i. Lk. ii. 40, 49, 52, etc. 2. Ps. ii. 7. 



NOTE 

The Gospels contain no clear suggestion that 
Jesus, prior to His baptism, thought of Himself 
as the Messiah. On the contrary, the fact that 
they pass over the first thirty years of Jesus' life 
with a few sentences, the fact that they put His 
temptation concerning Messiahship after the event 
by the Jordan, and the Messianic character of the 
words which then came to Jesus from Heaven, all 
go to show that they dated the Messianic con- 
sciousness of Jesus from the hour of His baptism. 



[»] 



9. What do the words "Son of God" mean 
in the Gospels? 

The words " Son of God/' as used by- 
Jesus Himself, by His disciples, and by un- 
believing Jews, are an exalted title of the 
Messiah. 1 

i. Mk. xiv. 61-62; Lie. xxii. 66-70; Matt xxvi. 63-64; 
Lk. iv. 41 ; Matt. Hi. 11 ; John i. 34, 49; xi. 27 ; xx. 31. 



NOTE 

The title " Son of God " is not used by Jesus in 
the Synoptic Gospels, though in a few passages 
it is virtually implied (Mk. ii. 10— 11 ; xiv. 61—62). 
It is used by Jesus three times in John (v. 25 ; 
x. 36 ; xi. 4). The Messianic force of the title as 
implied in the Synoptists is clear from the baptis- 
mal passage and from Mk. xiv. 61—62; as used by 
Jesus in John this force is established by x. 33—36. 
The subordinate ethical force of the title may be 
seen, e.g., in John v. 20 ; vi. 40. The use of the 
title by the disciples and by unbelieving Jews (see 
references above), both in the Synoptists and in 
John, is wholly Messianic. There is no passage 
that suggests a meaning other than the historical 
and official. 



[9] 



io. By what name did Jesus usually call 
Himself? 

Jesus usually called Himself " the Son of 
man," a title which on His lips was equal to 
Messiah. 1 

i. Mk. ix. ii-i2j xiv. 21, 61-62 j Matt. xvii. 10-13 j Lk. 
xxii. 22, 66-70. 



NOTE 

The Messianic significance of the title " Son of 
man " is put beyond question by the usage of Jesus 
Himself, as the references prove (e.g. Mk. xiv. 21, 
61-62). It was in keeping with the spiritual char- 
acter of His Messiahship that Jesus chose a humble 
title, and one that would not be regarded by those 
about Him as involving a Messianic claim. 



[10] 



1 1 . What relation to law and prophets did 
Jesus claim ? 

Jesus claimed to " fulfill " or perfect the law 
and the prophets, 1 and hence He claimed to 
be the "anointed one," or Messiah, foretold 
in the ancient Scriptures. 2 

I. Matt. v. 17. 2. Lk. xxiv. 26-27. 



1 2. What did Jesus claim as Messiah ? 

Jesus as Messiah claimed a unique knowl- 
edge of God, authority to fulfill the law, to 
forgive sin, to give eternal life, in short, to 
establish and to perfect the Kingdom of 
Heaven. 1 

I. Matt. xi. 27 5 v. 17 j Mk. ii. 10 j John x. 10. 



NOTE 

To the question, How did Jesus acquire a unique 
knowledge of God ? the Gospels suggest an answer 
in that they represent Jesus as without sin. He 
enjoyed the perfect fruition of the Beatitude, 
" Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see 
God." Unique harmony with God must give 
unique knowledge of Him. 

[»] 



13. How did Jesus manifest His Messianic 
claim ? 

Jesus manifested His Messianic claim in 
what He was and what He did rather than 
in any formal assertion of it. 



NOTE 

Jesus did not make a verbal and public claim to 
Messiahship, according to the Synoptic Gospels, 
until the day of His trial (Mk. xiv. 62), and then 
it was not spontaneous, but was drawn from Him 
by the challenge of the high priest. The claim 
was implied in what Jesus said and did from the 
beginning of the ministry, but not formally ex- 
pressed. He sought to lead men to accept Him 
as the Messiah by His revelation of God. To 
individuals who were receptive He declared Him- 
self (e.g. John iv. 26); but in the face of every 
unspiritual acknowledgment of His Messiahship He 
practiced a rigid reserve (e.g. Mk. iii. 12; v. 43). 



[1,] 



14. What was the character of Jesus accord- 
ing to the Gospels ? 

The character of Jesus, according to the 
Gospels, was divine, for it reflected the very 
love and purity of God. 1 

1. See, e.g., John xiii. 1, 34; xv. 13; iii. 16 $ Matt. v. 17; 
xxv. 37 j Mk. viii. 35. 



NOTE 

We say that the character of Jesus was divine 
because (i) we cannot conceive of higher love 
and purity than the love and purity of Jesus ; and 
(2) because Jesus presented Himself in various 
ways as the final revelation of the Father. This 
revelation was in Him y in His person, and not 
simply or chiefly in His words. 



[>3] 



1 5. What did Jesus say about His teaching ? 

Jesus said that His words should not pass 
away, and that whosoever would hear and 
do them should be like a house built upon a 
rock. 1 

I. Mk. xiii. 31 ; Matt. vii. 24 



NOTE 

The very Aramaic words of Jesus, with slight 
exceptions (e.g. Mk. v. 41 ; xiv. 36), have passed 
away ; but the spirit of His words, the truth which 
they embodied, breathes from modern languages 
with as vital a force as that which once quickened 
the Aramaic. 

The declaration of Jesus that one who does His 
word is as a house built on a rock hews an even 
and straight way through the multitudinous creeds 
and theologies of men. 



C'4] 



1 6. What did Jesus teach about His 
miracles ? 

Jesus taught that He worked miracles by 
the power of God, and that they were an 
evidence of the truth of His claim to be the 
Messiah. 1 

I. Matt. xii. 28 } xi. 21-23 j John xi. 41-42. 



NOTE 

The miracles of Jesus, with few exceptions, 
were doubtless works of mercy. They showed 
the tender compassion of Jesus for humanity. 
They were thus in a sense prophetic of what 
Christianity was to do for the world. And yet it 
was never the thought of Jesus to heal all the sick 
or raise all the dead. The chief function of the 
miracles was not to show that Jesus was merciful, 
but that He was the Messiah, thus sealing His 
claim. Moreover, they were a concession to the 
weakness and unspirituality of men ; they were 
not by any means the highest proof of the Messiah- 
ship of Jesus. 



[■5] 



17. What did Jesus teach about His death ? 

Jesus taught that His death was a nec- 
essary part of His Messianic discipline, 1 that 
it fully revealed His spirit and the spirit of 
His Father, 2 and that it was for the good of 
men. 3 

1. Mk. viii. 31 j Lk. xxiv. 26, 46$ comp. Heb. ii. 10; v. 9. 

2. John viii. 28 ; xii. 23, 28, 32. 

3. Lk. xxii. 19-20 } Mk. xiv. 245 Matt. xxvi. 28. 

NOTE 

To the question, How was the death of Jesus 
for the good of men ? the New Testament sug- 
gests various answers, each presenting one aspect 
of that great fact whose significance no human 
statements can ever exhaust. Thus, according to 
John, the death of Jesus was the culminating act 
of His self-revelation ; in the Epistle to the He- 
brews stress is laid on the significance which the 
death of Jesus had for His own perfecting as the 
Messiah ; in the Epistles of Peter it is held up as 
an example for the disciples ; while Paul, in addi- 
tion to other aspects of the cross, attaches much 
importance to the view that it demonstrates the 
righteousness of God. 

The Christian in his thought and in his life 
should neither omit nor unduly emphasize any one 
of these aspects. 

[16] 



1 8. What did Jesus teach about His resur- 
rection ? 

Jesus told His disciples that He should 
rise from the dead after three days, 1 that He 
should meet with them as person with per- 
son, 2 and that His resurrection should be a 
" sign," an evidence of His Messiahship. 3 



I. Mk. viii. 31 ; ix. 31 5 x. 34. 2. Mk. xiv. 28. 

3. Matt. xii. 39-40; Mk. xiv. 27-28 ; Lk. xxiv. 46. 



NOTE 

According to Mark, Jesus said that His resurrec- 
tion should be after three days (viii. 31) ; according 
to Matthew and Luke, He said that it should be on 
the third day (Matt. xvi. 21 ; Luke ix. 22). Mat- 
thew, in the passage regarding Jonah, represents 
Jesus as saying that the Son of man must be three 
days and three nights in the heart of the earth 
(xii. 40). It is probable that the expression 
"three days," or "three days and three nights," 
was used to designate a short time (comp. Hos. vi. 
2), and that the language of Matthew and Luke is 
a modification of the popular expression made natu- 
ral by the historical fact that Jesus actually rose on 
the third day. He was in the tomb, not three days 
and three nights, but two nights and a little more 
than one day. 

[17] 



iq. What proofs of the resurrection of Jesus 
does the New Testament contain? 

The New Testament contains the follow- 
ing facts which are evidence of the resurrec- 
tion of Jesus : (1) the three early Gospels 
agree that Jesus foretold His resurrection ; * 

(2) the tomb of Jesus was found empty and 
in an orderly state early Sunday morning ; 2 

(3) the eleven apostles 3 and many other dis- 
ciples 4 believed that they saw the risen Jesus 
on one or more occasions and that He spoke 
to them ; and (4) the resurrection of Jesus is 
required to account for the world-conquering 
faith of the New Testament Church. 

1. Mk. viii. 31 ; Matt. xvi. 21 j Lk. ix. 22. 

2. Mk. xvi. 6 ; Matt, xxviii. 6 ; Lk. xxiv. 6 ; John xx. 7. 

3. John xx. 19-23, 26; Matt, xxviii. 16-20; Lk. xxiv. 50-53. 

4. See, e.g., Matt, xxviii. 9 j John xx. 11 j Lk. xxiv. 13-31. 

NOTE 

1. Not less than six disciples visited the tomb 
in the early morning (Mk. xvi. 5-6 ; Matt, xxviii. 
5-6 ; Luke xxiv. 5-6 ; John xx. 4-5). The 
fact that the tomb was found empty is affirmed 
by all the accounts of the resurrection, and must 
be explained. 

[is] 



OF GOD 

20. What did Jesus say of His knowledge 
of God? 

Jesus said, " No one knoweth the Father 
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the 
Son willeth to reveal Him." 1 

I. Matt. xi. 27 j Lk. x. 22-24 j John xvii. 25. 



NOTE 

The knowledge of God which Jesus communi- 
cated was knowledge of His character, especially 
His holy love for man. It is plain that, as Messiah 
and Saviour, He needed absolute knowledge on this 
subject. But it seems obvious that, outside the 
spiritual sphere, the knowledge of Jesus was not 
exempt from the common human limitations. (See, 
e.g., Mk. xiii. 32 j xi. 13—14; v. 30 ; vi. 38; 
viii. 23.) 

C'9] 



2 1 . What is the revelation of God that Jesus 
made ? 

Jesus revealed God as an infinite Heavenly 
Father. 1 

i. Matt. v. 45 5 vi. 9 $ Lk. xv. 11-32 ; John iv. 23 $ x. 30 ; 

xvii. 6. 



NOTE 

This revelation of God by Jesus makes an im- 
passable gulf between the Gospel and all other 
religions. Other teachers have used the name 
" Father " for God ; Jesus alone has filled out that 
name with a divine meaning and made its truth a 
certainty to the human heart. 



[20] 



22. How did Jesus reveal God? 

Jesus revealed God by His teaching, 1 His 
intercourse with men, 2 and His death. 3 

1. Matt. xi. 275 John xv. 15. 

2. John xiv. 9 ; Lk. xv. 2, 20. 

3. John viii. 28 j xii. 28. 



NOTE 

The revelation of Jesus differs from the teaching 
of other religious leaders in this important respect 
among others, that His spiritual ideal was perfectly 
embodied in His own person. 



[«] 



23. Wherein does the fatherhood of God 
consist ? 

Jesus teaches that God is our Father 
because He loves us. 1 

I. Matt. v. 43-48 j Lk. xv. 20 ; John iii. 16. 



NOTE 

We might call God our Father because He made 
us, or because He rules over us, but that is not 
the usage of the Gospels. The name " Father " is 
there used to suggest the character of God, what 
He is in Himself. And the burden of its meaning, 
as the words and life of Jesus clearly show, is 
love. 



[»] 



24. How does the fatherhood of God mani- 
fest itself? 

Jesus teaches that the fatherhood of God 
is seen in every blessing of life, but especially 
in the gift of a Saviour through whom all 
men may become children of God. 1 

1. Matt. vi. 26, 30, 32 ; x. 30-31 j Mk. xii. 6 5 John iii. 16. 



25. What did Jesus teach about the nearness 
of God? 

Jesus taught that God is present in the 
world, 1 so near that He notes the minutest 
events, 2 and hears the secret prayer of the 
heart. 3 

1. Matt. vi. 30 ; John v. 17. 

2. Matt. x. 29. 

3. Matt. vi. 6. 



[*3] 



26. What is the holiness of God as seen 
through Jesus? 

The holiness of God as seen through 
Jesus is perfect moral purity 1 manifested 2 in 
perfect love 3 - — wholeness of spirit seeking 
to reproduce itself in other spirits. 

1. See, e.g. , Matt. v. 8. 

2. See, e.g., John Hi. 16 j Mk. ii. 17; Matt. xi. 28-29. 

3. See, e.g., Lk. xv. 11-32. 



NOTE 

The entire record of the life of Jesus witnesses 
not only to His moral purity and His love, but also 
to the fact of their inseparableness. Jesus, in His 
love, came into closest contact with sinners, but at 
the same time, in His purity, was most unlike 
them. 



[*4] 



2J. What does God seek from men ? 

Jesus teaches that God seeks to have men 
trust Him perfectly, worship Him in truth, 
and show forth His love in untiring service. 1 

I. Matt. vi. 26-34; John iv. 23 ; Matt. v. 43-48. 



NOTE 

What God seeks from every man can be seen 
in what Jesus was. To trust as He trusted, to 
worship as He worshipped, to serve as He served 
— this is the perfect will of God for man. 



[»s] 



28. What did Jesus teach about trust in 
God? 

Jesus revealed God as one worthy of per- 
fect trust, 1 and showed especially in His life 
the duty 2 and the blessing 3 of faith in the 
Heavenly Father. 

1. See references to Question 21. 

2. See Mk. xi. 22 ; xiv. 36 5 Matt. x. 19-20 ; xxiii. 23 5 iv. 4. 

3. See, e.g., Mk. xi. 23 : Lk. viii. 25; Matt. xxi. 235 Lk. 
xxiii. 46. The serenity of Jesus in the greatest perils and His hope for 
the future of His cause illustrate the blessing of His trust. 



NOTE 

Faith in Jesus as the Messiah is at the same 
time faith in God, whom Jesus reveals and whose 
kingdom He establishes. Faith in the invisible God 
is made as rational and easy by the life and work 
of Jesus as it is conceivable that it should ever be 
made for men on earth. 



[»«] 



OF THE SPIRIT 

29. When did Jesus speak of the Holy 
Spirit ? 

Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit only when 
thinking of His own absence from His disci- 
ples. 

NOTE 

In the Synoptists the Spirit is referred to on 
only two or three occasions, and then briefly 
(Matt. x. 20; Luke xii. 12; xxi. 15; Mk. xiii. 11. 
It is possible that Matt, xxviii. 20 and xviii. 20 
should be added). It is only in John, in the dis- 
course which is assigned to the evening before the 
crucifixion (xiv.— xvii.), that we have the elements 
of a doctrine of the Spirit. 



C»7] 



30. What did Jesus call the Spirit ? 

Jesus called the Spirit " the Helper " * 
(Paraclete), or " another Helper," 2 " the 
Spirit of truth," 3 * " the Spirit of your 
Father," 4 and " the Holy Spirit." 5 

I. John xiv. 26 j xv. 26 ; xvi. 7. 2. John xiv. 26. 

3. John xiv. 175 xv. 26; xvi. 13. 4. Matt. x. 20. 

5. John xiv. 26 j xx. 22. The latter passage is doubtful. 



NOTE 

The most significant word of Jesus regarding 
the Spirit is the designation " another Helper." 
This puts the Spirit in the same class with Jesus, 
and gives Him essentially the same mission. From 
this passage, as well as from those which describe 
the function of the Spirit, it is manifest that the 
meaning of the Greek word paraclete is far broader 
than that of the English word comforter. 



[ 2 8] 



31. How is the Spirit related to Jesus and 
His work ? 

Jesus regarded the Spirit as His successor 
and the continuator of His work with His 
disciples. 1 

I. John xiv. 6, 16, 265 xvi. 13. 



NOTE 

The teaching that the Holy Spirit is the successor 
of Jesus does not imply that the disciples were 
wholly without the Spirit while Jesus was with 
them. According to one reading of John xiv. 17, 
Jesus said that the Spirit was already in the dis- 
ciples. In that case, John xx. 22 can be under- 
stood as teaching that the risen Lord, while yet 
with the disciples, brought them more fully under 
the sway of the Spirit, and Acts ii. 1—4 can be 
regarded as a further step in the same spiritual 
equipment. 



[29] 



32. On what did Jesus say that the 'pres- 
ence of the Spirit depended $ 

Jesus said that the presence of the Spirit 
depended on His own departure to the 
Father, 1 His prayer to the Father, 2 and the 
attachment of men to Him as their Lord. 3 

I. John xvi. 7. 2. John xiv. 16. 3. John xiv. 15-16. 

NOTES 

1. Jesus suggests two reasons why His depar- 
ture is necessary : (1) He must go away in body 
that He may come again in spirit (John xiv. 18— 
19; Matt, xxviii. 20); and (2) He must depart 
in order that He may send the Spirit (John xv. 26 ; 
xvi. 7), that is, be the agent through whom the 
Father, the ultimate source of redemption, sends 
the Spirit (John xiv. 16, 26). 

2. The Spirit, as the Spirit of Jesus, comes 
only to those who are attached to Jesus, for other- 
wise this Spirit has no point of contact with men. 
The world cannot receive Him because it beholds 
Him not, that is, beholds Him not in Jesus, or, 
what amounts to the same thing, beholds not the 
real character of Jesus (John xiv. 17). This state- 
ment, of course, does not imply that the Spirit of 
God has no ministry to those who are not attached 
to Jesus. It concerns the Spirit only as the con- 
tinuator of Christ's specific work. 

[30] 



3$. What does the Spirit do for the disciples ? 

Jesus taught that the Spirit would witness 
of Him to the disciples, and help them to 
witness to others. 1 



I. John xv. 26-27; Matt. x. 20; Lk. xii. 12 ; xxiv. 



49. 



NOTE 

The Spirit witnesses of Jesus by unfolding the 
truth of Jesus' teaching and person (John xiv. 26 ; 
xv. 26; xvi. 13). He helps the disciples to wit- 
ness of Jesus by giving them clear insight into His 
truth, and the spiritual power which belongs to 
insight and conviction. 



[31] 



34» What does the Spirit do through the 
disciples for the world? 

Jesus taught that the Spirit would convict 
the world of sin, of righteousness, and of 
judgment. 1 

I. John xvi. 8 j Lk. xxi. 15. 



NOTE 

The sin which this passage contemplates is the 
sin of not believing in Jesus ; the righteousness is 
the righteousness of Jesus ; and the judgment is 
that which falls on those who reject Jesus. Thus 
the work of the Spirit through the disciples concerns 
the right attitude of men toward Jesus. 



[>] 



OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

3$. What did Jesus mean by "the kingdom 
of God"? 

Jesus commonly meant by " the kingdom 
of God " the perfect rule of God in the heart 
of man. 1 Sometimes He meant by it (i) the 
company of those who are under God's rule ; 2 
(2) the blessings of God's rule ; 3 and (3) the 
future abode of those who are under God's 
rule. 4 

1. Lk. xvii. 20-21 ; Matt. vi. 10, 33 j xix. 23 ; xxi. 31 5 Mk. 
xii. 34. 

2. Matt. xiii. 24-30, 47-50; v. 19; xi. 11. 

3. Matt. xxi. 43. 

4. Matt. vii. 21 ; viii. 1 1 ; xiii. 43 j Lk. xiii. 29 

NOTE 

The term " kingdom of God " is a many-sided, 
rich, poetical symbol. At one time Jesus gives 
prominence to one aspect of it, at another time to 
another aspect. 

[33] 



36. What did the Jews of Jesus' time mean 
by the kingdom of heaven ? 

The Jews of Jesus* time thought of the 
kingdom of heaven as political and material, 
like the kingdom of David, but more glo- 
rious. 1 

I. Mk. xi. 10 ; Lie. xvii. 20 ; xix. II ; Acts i. 6 ; John vi. 15 5 
Mk. x. 37 j Psalms of Solomon xvii. 23-51. 



NOTE 

This ideal of the Jewish Church had a kind of 
support in the history of the nation and in the Old 
Testament, especially when this was literally inter- 
preted. With this ideal of the kingdom there went 
necessarily the expectation of a political Messiah. 



[34] 



37- How is the kingdom of God realized? 

The example of Jesus teaches that the 
kingdom of God is realized by purely spir- 
itual means. 1 

I. See, e.g., Mk. i. 15 3 Lk. ix. 23 ; xvii. 21 ; Matt, xxviii. 20. 



NOTE 

The ministry of Jesus to the physical man was 
a sign regarding Himself rather than a method of 
establishing the kingdom of heaven. 

Moreover, His direct ministry to the physical 
man was miraculous^ and not designed to be perma- 
nent. In His final commission to His disciples 
Jesus said nothing of miraculous powers. There- 
fore a ministry to the physical man, as a method 
of extending the kingdom of heaven, must be justi- 
fied, if at all, by its results. It is not suggested 
by the example of Jesus, neither is it condemned 
by anything that He said. 



[35] 



_— 



38. Bid Jesus organize the members of His 
kingdom ? 

Jesus united His disciples to Himself and 
to each other in faith and love, but gave 
them no outward organization. 



NOTE 

Not Peter, but the Petrine stamp of loyalty to 
Jesus, is the " rock " on which the Church is 
built (Matt. xvi. 18). The "primacy" of Peter 
was not ecclesiastical, but moral and spiritual. 

Again, as there was no official priority of one 
over another within the circle of the twelve apos- 
tles, so these as a body received from Jesus no 
official preeminence among believers. Their au- 
thority was personal, such as belonged to their 
exceptional opportunities of acquaintance with the 
Lord. 



[36] 



. 39- Whom did Jesus admit to His king- 
dom ? 

Jesus admitted to the company of His 
followers all who, turning from sin, took 
Him as their Master and Lord. 1 

I. Mk. i. 15 5 viii. 34 ; John xiii. 13. 



NOTE 

There was no rite connected with admission to 
the company of Jesus' disciples until after His 
death. Nor was there any sort of theological or 
ecclesiastical creed. There was virtually but one 
thing required of the candidate, and that was intelli- 
gible even to a child, for it was the acceptance of 
Jesus as Saviour and Lord. 



[37] 



40. What was the relation of Jesus to 
human institutions? 

Jesus said nothing of the relation of His 
kingdom to the social or political institutions 
of men. He aimed to establish the rule of 
God in the heart, and evidently believed that 
this would in turn mould and animate all the 
relationships of men. 



NOTE 

Jesus is the only radical and sure reformer of 
social and political institutions, and yet He never 
undertook any direct reformatory work, nor even 
spoke of its necessity. The sphere of His labor 
was purely that of religion ; and in so far as He 
has revolutionized human institutions, He has done 
it by working in the depths of man's spirit. 



[38] 



41. How did the "church" of the apostles 
differ from the "kingdom of heaven " f 1 

The " church " of the apostles corre- 
sponded in part to the " kingdom of 
heaven " as the company of those who are 
under the divine rule. It had, however, a 
local 2 and a general 3 sense, and was probably 
never wholly without external organization. 4 

1. Questions 41-44, 46-47 are not based directly upon the teaching 
or life of Jesus, but upon the Acts and the Epistles. 

2. Phil. i. 1. 3. Eph. v. 23-25. 

4. The organization of the early Church was of the simplest form, 
and even this is never emphasized in the New Testament. 



[39] 



42. Who constituted a church in the apos- 
tolic age? 

Any company of the disciples of Jesus who 
were associated in Christian worship and ser- 
vice constituted a church. 1 

I. See, e.g. t Phil. iv. 15 ; Col. iv. 15 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 19. 



43. What was the condition of admission to 
the Church? 

The sole condition of admission to the 
Church was the hearty acceptance of Jesus as 
Saviour and Lord. 1 

I. Acts xvi. 31 j I Cor. i. 23 ; Rom. vi. 3, etc. 



NOTE 

The apostolic Church, in this respect at least, 
adhered to the principle of the Master. And it 
did this not because it thought less deeply than the 
Church has in subsequent times, but rather because 
of its fidelity to Jesus and its sense of the relative 
value of different religious truths. 



[40] 



44- What was the confession of the apostolic 
Church ? 

The confession of the apostolic Church 
was that Jesus of Nazareth was the prophe- 
sied Messiah, the Redeemer of the world. 1 

I. Rom. x. 9 ; I Cor. xii. 3, etc. 



NOTE 

The name "Jesus Christ," or " Christ Jesus," 
which arose in the apostolic age, is virtually a con- 
fession of Christian faith, and the only one to be 
found in the New Testament. It contains the 
great affirmation of Christianity, viz., Jesus is the 
Christ, the Messiah. 



[41] 



45' What are the rites of the New Testa- 
ment Church? 

The rites of the New Testament Church 
are baptism and the Lord's Supper. 1 

I. Acts ii. 41 ; Rom. vi. 3 ; 1 Cor. xii. 135 Mk. xiv. 22-24. 

NOTE 

Neither the word " rites " nor the word " sacra- 
ment" is used of baptism and the Lord's Supper 
in the New Testament, nor are the two ceremonies 
mentioned together if we except the allusion in 
1 Cor. x. 2-4. 



[4*] 



46. Into what name did the apostles baptize ? 

The apostles baptized into the name of 
Jesus. 1 

1. Acts ii. 38 ; x. 48 ; xix. 5 ; Rom. vi. 3. 



NOTE 

Baptism into the name of Jesus is of course 
what was to be expected. Baptism into the name 
of God or the Spirit of God would not be dis- 
tinctively Christian. It would have been as appro- 
priate in the Old Testament times as in those of 
the New Testament. The consecration which is 
involved in baptism must be consecration to Christ 
if the baptism is to be Christian. The practice 
of the apostolic Church, to judge from the New 
Testament writings, was perfectly uniform, and 
therefore the formula of Matt, xxviii. 19 must be 
explained from the standpoint of a later age. 



[43] 



47* What value did the apostles attach to 
baptism ? 

The apostles regarded baptism as a symbol 
of cleansing from sin and of consecration to 
Jesus. 1 

i. Rom. vi. 3-7 j 1 Cor. x. 2; xii. 1351 Pet. iii. 21. 



48. When and how did Jesus institute the 
Lord' s Supper ? 

On the last evening of His life, after 
celebrating the Passover with His disciples, 
Jesus gave them bread and wine to be taken 
in memory of Him. 1 

1. Mk. xiv. 22-253 Matt. xxvi. 26-29; Lk t **"■ ^S~ zo i 
1 Cor. xi. 23-26. 



NOTE 

It is not possible to say whether the Supper was 
an inspiration of the hour or had been premeditated 
by Jesus. The former view is perhaps the more 
probable. 



[44] 



49* What did Jesus say that the bread stood 
for? 

Jesus said that the bread was His body. 1 

I. Mk. xiv. 225 Matt. xxvi. 26} Lk. xxii. 19; 1 Cor. xi. 24. 

NOTE 

Jesus broke the bread, partly perhaps in order 
that the disciples might the more readily partake 
of it, but probably also in view of the violent death 
which was just before Him. The fitness of the 
bread as a symbol was increased by breaking it. 

50. What did it mean to eat this bread ? 

Eating the broken bread was to remind 
the disciples of Jesus in His self-sacrifice, 
and especially of Jesus as the nourishment 
of their life. 1 

I. Luke xxii. 19; 1 Cor. xi. 24; comp. John vi. 51—58. 

NOTE 

The aim of Jesus in all His work was to lead 
men to the spiritual appropriation of Himself as 
Saviour. This thought of personal appropriation 
of Him has its most intense expression in the act 
of eating the broken bread. 

[45] 



5 1 . What did Jesus say that the wine stood 
for? 

Jesus said that the wine was His covenant- 
blood. 1 

I. Mk. xiv. 24 ; Matt. xxvi. 28 ; Lk. xxii. 20 ; I Cor. xi. 25. 



NOTE 

" Covenant-blood " is blood that seals and so 
establishes a covenant. The designation of Jesus' 
covenant as a new one (Luke xxii. 20) sets it over 
against the great covenant between God and the 
Jewish people at Sinai, as is done by the prophet 
Jeremiah when he speaks of a new covenant 
(Jer. xxxi. 31). 



52. What did it mean to drink this wine ? 

Drinking the wine was to remind the dis- 
ciples of their solemn covenant with God, 
sealed with the blood of their Saviour. 



[46] 



OF FOLLOWING JESUS 



53. What is it to follow Jesus ? 

To follow Jesus is to take upon us the 
yoke of obedience 1 to Him as our Saviour 2 
and Lord, 3 and with a full glad loyalty 4 to 
do His word 5 and imitate His example. 6 

I. Matt. xi. 28-29. 2 - E'E't Lk. v. 32. 

3. John xiii. 135 Lk. xiv. 33. 

4. E.g. y Lk. ix. 57-62 j Matt. x. 37. 

5. Lk. vi. 46-47 ; xi. 28 ; John xvii. 6. 

6. John xiii. 15 ; Mk. x. 43-45. 



[47] 



54- Whom did Jesus call to follow Him ? 

Jesus called all men, young and old, rich 
and poor, the best and the worst, to follow 
Him. 1 

i. Mk. ii. 16-17 } Lk. xv. ; Matt. v. 20 ; Lk. xxiii. 42-43. 



NOTE 

In the earthly ministry of Jesus His call was 
addressed to Jews, His contact with Gentiles being 
entirely exceptional (Mk. vii. 24 ; Matt. viii. 5) ; 
but this limitation ceased with His death (Matt, 
xiii. 33; xxviii. 19 ; Mk. xiv. 9; John xii. 32). 



[48] 



55- What did Jesus teach about sin ? 

Jesus taught that sin separates the soul 
from God, degrades it, and unless forgiven 
works its complete ruin. 1 

I. Lk. xv. 13; Mk. x. 45 j Matt. xxv. 41. 



NOTE 

Jesus said nothing of the origin of sin, and made 
no allusion to man's relation to Adam. He as- 
sumed as a fact that all men are sinners by their 
own free choice, and that men can turn to God if 
they will. Jesus emphasized the fact that sin is in 
the heart and will, — is inward and spiritual (e.g., 
Matt. v. 21, 27, 33, 38, 43). The forms of sin 
which Jesus most frequently condemned were pride 
(e.g., Mk. ix. 33-37 ; x. 42-45 ; Luke xviii. 9-14) 
and hypocrisy (e.g., Mk. vii. 6-23 ; Matt, xxiii. 
13-29; vi. 2, 5, 16). 



[49] 



$6. What light did the example of Jesus 
throw upon sin? 

The example of Jesus, since He was wholly 
free from sin, brought out the sinfulness of 
sin in others into the strongest possible relief, 
and also showed that the power of sin is not 
so great as the power of God. 



NOTE 

Fellowship with Jesus is the greatest force known 
to man that makes for purity of heart and life. It 
renders the conscience sensitive to sin and the will 
strong to resist it. 



[50] 



57- What light did the death of Jesus throw 
upon sin? 

The death of Jesus, brought about by the 
Jewish Church, showed that sin blinds the 
soul to truth and goodness, and makes it 
capable of the greatest crimes. 



NOTE 

The Jews who compassed the death of Jesus 
apparently thought that this was a virtuous act 
{e.g.) Matt. xxvi. 65). Pilate, a Gentile, showed 
clearer moral insight and a sounder conscience than 
the leaders of the chosen people (John xviii. 38 ; 
xix. 4, 6, 12). Religious pride resting on an out- 
ward performance of God's law made them blind 
to His clearest revelation and insensible to His 
love. 



[5'] 



58. What did Jesus say of God's willing- 
ness to forgive sin ? 

Jesus taught both by word 1 and by act 2 
that the Father fully and freely pardons 
every penitent sinner. 

1. Mk. ii. 5j Lk. vii. 47; xxiii. 43. 

2. Lk. xv. 20; Matt. vi. 12, 14; 



59. What did Jesus teach about repentance ? 

Jesus taught that a man truly repents who 
sees his sin, confesses it to the Father, and 
turns from it. 1 

I. See, e.g., Lk. xv. 17-19. 



NOTE 

True penitence, in Jesus' thought, is not only a 
turning from sin, but a turning unto God. The 
first implies a kindly forgiving spirit toward others 
(Matt. vi. 14; Mk. ii. 25); the second of course 
implies the acceptance of God's will however 
made known, and notably the acceptance of Jesus. 



[>] 



6o. What did Jesus teach about faith in 
Him ? 

Jesus taught that to believe in Him was 
to accept Him as Messiah and Lord. 1 

I. Matt. x. 325 xi. 28-30$ xvi. 16-17; John viii. 24-28. 



NOTE 

Jesus' conception of faith, like all His religious 
conceptions, was entirely practical. The faith He 
sought must carry the whole man ; it must involve 
alike the mind, the heart, and the will. Following 
Jesus is the measure and test of faith in Him. 



[53] 






6 1 . What is it to follow Jesus in prayer ? 

To follow Jesus in prayer is to come to 
God as our Father, to make our requests to 
Him in childlike trust, and to desire, above 
all other blessings which we seek, that His 
perfect will may be done. 1 

I. Matt. vi. 9 j vii. 7-1 1 ; Mk. xiv. 36. 



NOTE 

The fatherhood of God invites to free and fre- 
quent communion, to simple, large, and confiding 
petitions. The example of Jesus, as well as His 
revelation of God, teaches that the soul may com- 
mune with the Heavenly Father anywhere (Mk. vi. 
46 ; xiv. 35 ; John xi. 41—42), though His prefer- 
ence was for solitude. 



[54] 



62. What is it to follow Jesus in meeting 
temptation ? 

To follow Jesus in meeting temptation 
means that we are to be armed with the 
word of God, strengthened through com- 
munion with the Father, and intent on 
pleasing Him. 1 

I. Matt. iv. 4, 7, io; vi. 13 $ Mk. xiv. 38. 



NOTE 

Jesus is described as " full of the Spirit " when 
He went into the wilderness where He was tempted 
(Matt. iv. 1 ; Mk. i. 12 ; Luke iv. 1), which surely 
implies a close and profound sense of fellowship 
with God. In other hours of crisis also Jesus 
sought strength for trial in communion with the 
Father (e.g.^ Mk. i. 35 ; vi. 46 ; Luke vi. 12). 



[55] 



63. What is it to follow Jesus in serving 
our fellow-men? 

To follow Jesus in serving our fellow-men 
means that in a love born of God's love to 
us, we are to give our lives for the salvation 
of the world. 1 

I. Mk. x. 43-45 j John xiii. 34. 



NOTE 

The love of Jesus for men was not enthusiasm 
for human brotherhood, nor a sentiment which He 
cultivated as a part of His ideal of character ; it 
was rather the outward expression of His deep 
sense of the love of God for Himself and of the 
conviction that God loves all men. The service 
that follows the example of Jesus never loses sight 
of the spiritual aim even when moving on the 
plane of the material. This service has the same 
promise of success that the service of Jesus had 
(John xvii. 18). It is the highest service, for it 
is service for the highest in man, rendered in the 
spirit of the perfect manhood. 



[56] 



64. What are the followers of Jesus to the 

world? 

The followers of Jesus are the channel 
through which the light and power of the 
Gospel come into saving contact with the 
world. 1 

I. Matt. v. 13-145 John xvii. 18. 



NOTE 

Jesus did not say that He would build His 
Church upon a book, not even upon the Bible, 
nor upon a creed, but upon personal loyalty to 
Him as Messiah and Lord (Matt. xvi. 13-18). 



[57] 



6$. What did Jesus teach about opposition 
to His followers? 

Jesus taught that His disciples, since they 
did not have the spirit of the world, would 
be hated and persecuted. 1 

I. Matt. v. io-ii ; x. 17-23; John xv. 195 xvi. 3. 



NOTE 

The expression of hostility toward Christ's disci- 
ples changes according to their numerical strength 
and position. And again, so far as the world is 
leavened by the Gospel, though it be not professedly 
Christian, it is no longer the world of which Jesus 
spoke in this connection. It is rather to be likened 
to the unnamed man who did good in Jesus' name, 
though refusing to submit to the authority of the 
twelve apostles (Mk. ix. 38-40). But the radical 
opposition between the spirit of the world and the 
spirit of Jesus is just what it has ever been. 



[58] 



66. What did Jesus teach about the future 
of His cause ? 

Jesus taught that the Gospel would be 
preached to all nations, and would leaven 
the entire mass of humanity. 1 

I. Mk. xiii. 10 ; Matt. xiii. 33 j John xii. 32. 



NOTE 

Jesus set no time when the process of leavening 
would be accomplished. His language sometimes 
suggests a relatively short period for the world's 
evangelization, and sometimes a relatively long 
period (e.g.. Matt. x. 23 ; Mk. ix. 1 ; xiv. 62 ; 
xiii. 7-8 ; Luke xx. 9). The leavening of the 
mass does not mean the conversion of every indi- 
vidual. Jesus expected that the conflict between 
His kingdom and the world would continue till the 
end of the age (e.g ., Luke xviii. 8 ; xiii. 23-24 ; 
Matt. xxiv. 12, 30); but the dominant note in His 
references to the future of His cause is one of hope 
and victory. 



[59] 



OF THE BIBLE 



- 67. What religious book did Jesus have? 

Jesus had the writings which we call the 
Old Testament. 1 

I. Lk. xxiv. 27, 44, etc. 



NOTE 

It is probable that there were portions of the 
Old Testament in the home of Jesus, and He 
could doubtless become acquainted with all the 
sacred writings in the village synagogue. 



[60] 



68, How did Jesus regard the Old 'Testa- 
ment ? 

Jesus regarded the Old Testament as 
containing a divine revelation, 1 a revelation, 
however, which was fragmentary, and mingled 
with teachings that did not express the will 
of God. 2 

i. Matt. v. 17-195 xxii. 37-40; Mk. xii. 30-31 j John vi. 
45 5 x. 34-35 5 xiii. l8 5 xv - 2 5- 

2. Matt. v. 33-37, 38, 43 > M k. x. 5-9. 



NOTE 

The attitude of Jesus toward the Scriptures was 
independent. He did not accept the interpreta- 
tions of the Jewish Church ; He tested what He 
read ; He discriminated between the " weightier " 
matters of the law and the less weighty; and 
He claimed to supply what was lacking in the 
ancient revelation. 



[61] 



69. What did Jesus say of the Old Testa- 
ment 's relation to Him ? 

Jesus found in the Old Testament mani- 
fold witness to Him as Messiah, 1 foreshad- 
owing specific events in His career, 2 and 
pointing to Him as the bringer of God's 
kingdom. 3 

1. Matt. xvii. 10-13; Mk. ix. 11-12; Lk. xxiv. 27; John v. 
39, 46. 

2. Matt. xii. 38-40; Mk. xiv. 21, 61-62; Lk. xi. 29-30. 

3. Mk. 1,15; John v. 39-40. 



[6 2 ] 



70. What did Jesus teach was highest in 
the Old Testament revelation ? 

Jesus taught that the highest command- 
ments in the Old Testament were the com- 
mandments to love God with all the heart 
and to love the neighbor as one's self. 1 

I. Matt. xxii. 37-405 Mk. xii. 29-31. 



NOTE 

The fulfilment of law and prophets which Jesus 
gave, both in His life and in His teachings, was 
along the line of these commandments. He mag- 
nified them far beyond what had ever been done 
before, and He also made their realization possible 
by His revelation of God. 



[63] 



ST 



71. How did Jesus "fulfil" the Old Testa- 
ment ? 

Jesus "fulfilled" or perfected the Old 
Testament by His full and final revelation 
of God. 1 

i. Matt. v. 1 7 j xi. 27 ; John xvii. 25-26. 



NOTE 

Jesus did not perfect the old by revising it, 
separating and casting away the partial and imper- 
fect, but by an immediate and living manifestation 
of the will of God, of which the law and the 
prophets contained only a gracious foreshadowing. 



[64] 



__ 



72. Where is the teaching of Jesus found ? 

The teaching of Jesus in life and word is 
found in the four Gospels. 



NOTE 

Other New Testament writings contain either 
the history of the early Church (Acts), the inter- 
pretation of the Gospel and its application to 
life (the Epistles), or a poetical forecast of the con- 
summation of Christ's kingdom (Revelation). 



73. Why is the teaching of Jesus the reli- 
gious standard for His disciples ? 

The teaching of Jesus in life and word is 
the religious standard for His disciples be- 
cause Jesus is the Messiah and Saviour, the 
perfect revealer of God and the perfect 
teacher of godliness. 1 

1. Matt. vii. 24 ; x. 32 5 xi. 27, 29 ; John xiii, 34-35 ; xv. 15 ; 
xvii. 4. 



[65] 



OF SUNDAY 



74. What did Jesus say of the Sabbath ? 

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for 
man, not man for the Sabbath ; and that it 
is right to be active in good on that day, for 
the Father also is active. 1 

I. Mk. ii. 27-28 j John v. 17. 

75. Why do we keep Sunday instead of the 
Sabbath ? 

We keep Sunday instead of the Sabbath 
because on this day Jesus arose from the 
dead, thereby giving the final proof that He 
is the Messiah. 

-NOTE 

The authority for putting the day of Christ's 
resurrection in the place of the Jewish Sabbath is 
the authority of the fitness of things. The Chris- 
tian Sunday fulfils the spirit of the ancient com- 
mandment, while at the same time it magnifies 
Christ and His resurrection. 
[66] 
L.oFC. 



7 6. When did the disciples begin to keep 
Sunday ? 

The first religious observance of Sunday 
on record was among the Gentile converts 
of Paul about the middle of the first century. 1 

I . Acts xx. 7. 



NOTE 

The abandonment of the Jewish Sabbath by 
Christian disciples, like their abandonment of other 
Jewish observances, was doubtless gradual. Jewish 
Christians naturally had an affection for the 
ancient forms which was not shared by Gentile 
converts. Hence it is intrinsically probable that 
the Christian observance of Sunday originated with 
the Gentile believers, as the earliest New Testa- 
ment reference to the day suggests. 



[67] 



77- What observance of Sunday accords with 
the teaching and practice of Jesus? 

That observance of Sunday accords with 
the teaching and practice of Jesus which 
devotes the day to rest, to worship, and to 
deeds of love and mercy. 1 

I. See, *.£.,Mk. ii. 23-28 ; iii. 1-5 ; Lk. vi. 6-11 5 xiii. 10-17. 



[68] 



OF THE HEREAFTER 



78. What was the attitude of Jesus toward 
mans immortality ? 

Jesus constantly assumed that man is im- 
mortal, that the bad no less than the good 
have a momentous future beyond the grave. 1 

1. Mk. iii. 29 5 viii. 38 ; ix. 4, 42-50 5 x. 30 ; xii. 26 5 xiv. 25 5 
Lk. vi. 23 ; x. 20 ; xii. 8-9 ; xvi. 19-3 1 ; xxiii. 43 ; Matt. xxv. 46 $ 
John xiv. 3 ; xvii. 24. 



NOTE 

Once only, in His encounter with the Saddu- 
cees, Jesus argued that the soul is immortal (Mk. 
xii. 18-27). 



[69] 



,- 



79* What did Jesus say of the time and 
method of the resurrection ? 

From the little that Jesus said on this sub- 
ject we may infer (i) that resurrection is in 
the hour of death, being, as it were, a name 
for the passage of the spirit from the visible 
to the invisible world ; 1 and (2) that the ma- 
terial body is wholly discarded at death. 2 

1. Mk. xii. 27; Lk. xxiii. 43 ; John xiv. 3. 

2. Mk. xii. 25 ; Matt, xviii. 10 (?). 



NOTES 

1. Jesus was concerned with the spiritual states 
subsequent to this life rather than with the nature 
of death and of the resurrection. 

2. The resurrection of the physical body of 
Jesus was a Messianic "sign" (Mk. xiv. 27-28; 
Matt. xii. 39-40 ; Luke xxiv. 46), and therefore 
we can in no wise argue from it to the character 
of the resurrection of His followers. 



[70] 



^^«^l**^-:^^^ ^^^^ _ 



8o. What did Jesus say of His future 
coming ? 

Jesus said that the Son of man would 
come with clouds while some of His hearers 
were still alive, 1 and also that He would come 
with angels at the end of the age. 2 

1. Mk. xiv. 625 viii. 38 ; Matt. xvi. 28 ; xxvi. 645 Lk. ix. 26; 
xxii. 69, etc. 

2. Mk. xiii. 24-27; Matt. xxiv. 29-31 ; xxv. 31-46; Lk. xxi. 
25-28. 



NOTES 

1. The coming of the Son of man with clouds 
is the same as the coming of the Kingdom of God 
with power (Mk. ix. 1). It is a figurative descrip- 
tion of a powerful triumph of the Gospel, and was 
abundantly fulfilled in the first Christian generation. 

The coming of the Son of man at the end 
of the age, with the angels, may be regarded as a 
figurative announcement of the consummation. 

2. The references which Jesus made to a near 
coming were, in part, for the encouragement of 
His disciples (e.g., Mk. ix. 1), and for the cultiva- 
tion of watchfulness (e.g., Mk. xiii. 37 ; Lk. xii. 37 ; 
xxi. 36). 



[70 






8 1 . What did Jesus teach of a judgment in 
life? 

Jesus taught that men judge themselves 
by their attitude toward Him, 1 and that this 
judgment is final in character. 2 

1. John Hi. 17-19; v. 22; viii. 15; xii. 47. 

2. John v. 22-24. 



NOTE 

Judgment in life is emphasized in the Gospel 
of John. This judgment is represented as final in 
character, because Jesus is the supreme revelation 
of God. He is therefore the last touchstone of 
hearts. Since this judgment in life is final in char- 
acter, any future judgment, according to John, must 
be merely a recognition of the soul's choice and 
estate. 



[7»] 



82. What did Jesus teach about a future 
judgment ? 

Jesus associated a judgment with the end 
of the present age, but this concerns only the 
generation which shall then be on the earth. 1 
From His word to the dying robber 2 we in- 
fer that the final judgment of a man is at 
death ; and this judgment, according to John, 
is the divine recognition of that judgment 
which men pass on themselves. 

I. Matt. xxv. 31-46. 2. Lk. xxiii. 43. 



NOTE 

The difficulty in determining the time of the 
coming of Christ appertains also to the time of 
judgment. If the coming is a process extending 
through history, then there is a process of judg- 
ment equally extended. The judgment of Matt, 
xxv. 31—46 may be regarded as a dramatic repre- 
sentation of the truth of this process. 

The teaching of Jesus emphasizes the ground of 
judgment, not the time and the outward circum- 
stances. 



[73] 



83. What did Jesus say of the future con- 
sequences of sin ? 

Jesus taught that unforgiven sin brings 
men to Gehenna, to suffering and loss that 
cannot be measured or described. 1 

I. Mk. ix. 42-48 ; Matt. xxv. 31-46. 



NOTE 

In the language of Jesus " Gehenna " denotes 
both a place of punishment and the punishment of 
that place (Mk. ix. 43-47). To a Jewish mind 
the term was intensely suggestive of judgment and 
suffering. It was the strongest symbol of judg- 
ment afforded by the Hebrew language and history. 



[74] 



84. Where do the disciples of Jesus go at 
death ? 

Jesus teaches that His disciples, at death, 
go to Him and the Father in heaven. 1 

I. Lk. xxiii. 43 ; John xiv. 2-3 ; xvii. 24. 



NOTE 

Jesus, in His allusions to the abode of the blessed, 
gives prominence to the personal element. To be 
with Him and to behold His glory is what He asks 
of the Father for His disciples (John xvii. 24), 
He turns the thought of men not to the future 
home itself, but to Him whose presence makes 
that home heaven. Thus He satisfies the heart 
rather than the curiosity of the mind. 



[75] 



85. What does Jesus teach of the state of 
the redeemed? 

Jesus teaches that His disciples inherit an 
everlasting kingdom, where they see God, 
and share in the glory of His Son forever. 1 

I. Matt. xxv. 34 j v. 8 ; xix. 28 ; John xvii. 24. 



NOTE 

The central thought of all the references which 
Jesus made to the estate of the redeemed is the 
exaltation and enrichment of the personal life. 
The individual is not lost in God, but perfected in 
fellowship with Him. 



[76] 



The Student's Life of Jesus 

By GEORGE H. GILBERT, Ph.D., D.D. 
Cloth. i2tno. $1.25 net 

" Written by one who is a profound believer in the supernatural, and 
whose belief does not in the least prevent his application of sound criticism 
and practical common sense to the consideration of such questions as the 
miraculous birth, and the interpretation of such events as the temptation." 

— The Outlook. 

" Admirable in arrangement, concise in form, with abundant indexing, this 
modest work speaks most eloquently to every one who would study the 
history of Jesus seriously, by the truly critical and scientific method." 

— The Christian Advocate. 



The Student's Life of Paul 

By GEORGE H. GILBERT, Ph.D., D.D. 
Cloth. i2mo. $1.25 net 

" The aim of this book is threefold: First, to present the biography of the 
great apostle, entirely apart from a study of his theological teaching; second, 
to present the facts in as simple and scientific a manner as possible, without 
comment and without rhetorical elaboration; third, to present the material 
in an accessible and usable form. There are full references to biblical 
sources, and abundant references to the modern literature of the subject." 

— The Examiner. 

" A volume that will be of special service to all students. . . . We un- 
reservedly and heartily commend this volume." 

— Zion's Herald. 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

66 FIFTH AVEWUE, NEW YORK 



THE 

First Interpreters of Jesus 

By GEORGE H. GILBERT, Ph.D., D.D. 
Cloth. i2tno. $1.25 net 

" This book is most happily named. The method of the book is also 
refreshing. Dr. Gilbert has not catechised the New Testament writers con- 
cerning questions in theology which have interested and baffled us and our 
fathers, as students of the New Testament too often do. He has rather 
exhibited to us the thinking of the apostles about Jesus and his significance, 
permitting them to place the emphasis on the points that seemed to them 
emphatic, and to pass with slight notice questions that did not seem vital to 
them. Only when later interpreters have obscured the apostolic thought by 
misinterpretations does Dr. Gilbert depart from this rule of allowing the 
writers to determine the proportion which different phases of their thought 
should have. He has given us a contribution to a true New Testament 
theology." _ Thg Congregationalist and Christian World. 



The Revelation of Jesus 

By GEORGE H. GILBERT, Ph.D., D.D. 
Cloth. i2mo. $1.25 net 

" This is the most noteworthy historical study of the New Testament 
sources of Christian doctrine that has appeared in English since the publica- 
tion of Professor McGiffert's ' The Apostolic Age.' . . . There can be no 
question, however, either of the large freedom from preconceptions in which 
Professor Gilbert has wrought, or of the loving conscientiousness of his 
labor to present the real thought of Jesus with the utmost fidelity. His re- 
sults are certain to command attentive examination." _ The Outlook. 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK. 



«*«fc>2^ s «Q& 



JAN 29 1902 

t CC n Y DEL, TO 



F r 1 3 



902 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: June 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 

t 



